415 Society Club Inserts for JoAnn
Explorer Club:
2023 Juicy Rebound Pinot Noir “Cuvée Unique No. 21”, Russian River Valley
San Francisco Wine Panel Score 92+ Points
This delicious Pinot Noir is richly fruit from the moment the cork is pulled, as focused aromas of black raspberry, pomegranate, black cherry, black tea leaf and baking spice seem to surge from the glass. It proves as fruit-rich and youthfully fresh as hoped on the palate, where black cherry and raspberry join hazelnut, baking spice and suggestions of dried herbs and sweet tobacco. Lingering, zesty and palate-coating to the end, it is sure to provide great pleasure for several years. 168 cases produced.
2023 Cochon Grenache Mathis Vineyard, Moon Mountain, Sonoma
San Francisco Wine Panel Score 92
This is a boldly forthcoming wine with complex aromas suggestive of
pomegranate, Campari, raspberry, sweet Black cherry, Santa Rosa plum, crabapple, cherry pit and cinnamon stick, with notable tension created by it’s layering of fruit, zest and tannic structure. The wine is vibrantly fresh and gripping on the palate, where lingonberry, pomegranate and Campari flavors rise above a strong mineral undertone. There is ample fruit and some tension in the long, youthful finish as well. This one should get steadily better through the next two years and likely beyond. Blended with 10% Carignane, 125 cases produced.
2024 Cedar Lane Albarino Arroyo Seco, Monterey
San Francisco Wine Panel Score 92
Vibrant yet rich, the forthcoming aromas of this wonderfully tasty Albarino are a medley of fresh apple skin, honeydew melon, apricot and lemon peel scents poised above crushed rock minerality. It is sleek yet palate-coating and extremely long in the mouth, where the predicted flavors prove both generous and vibrantly fresh. A gorgeous drink all by itself, it will be a stunner with Linguini con Vongole and the like.
Enthusiast Club:
2023 Deauratus Cabernet Sauvignon Jillian Rose Vineyard, Paso Robles
San Francisco Wine Panel Score 95+ Points
If never downright powerful, this Cabernet is deep and complex, and it delivers a truly fine panorama of fruity and savory scents that include blackberry, black currant, dark plum, leather, peppercorn, mineral, toasted oak and roasted game. All of these elements fan out on the palate, where the wine is forthcoming in concentrated fruit and spice notes while being texturally tense, palate-coating and quietly gripping through a finish that is long-lingering. Additionally, it delivers its exotic savory and fruit flavors at a fine price. 220 cases produced.
2021 Cru Winery Chardonnay Sierra Madre, Santa Maria
San Francisco Wine Panel Score 94 Points
Mature yet still lively, this Chardonnay has reached a peak worth waiting for. The nose melds aromas of toasted hazelnuts and honey in support of fruit scents of peach and baked apple, married to subtler notes of quince and pink grapefruit. It proves creamy yet is lightfooted on the palate and shows an engaging harmony of parts, as lemon peel and a hint of grapefruit, accent its richer core of peach melba and hazelnut nougat. A fine drink, ready to enjoy, it will prove a versatile dinner companion. Its counterpoints of creaminess and zest will especially uplift sauced fish and fowl entrees. 176 cases produced.
Connoisseurs Club:
2022 Patria Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Ranch Vineyard, Napa Valley
San Francisco Wine Panel Score 97+ Points
Harmonious and quite fruit-forward, the nose of this classic Napa Cab melds black and red currant fruit, dark cherry, purple plum compote, chocolate, cedar, toffee and coffee bean scents. These flavors seem a bit more red fruit dominant on the palate, where polished grip, appropriate zest and focused flavors fan out with airing and linger well. Two or three years from its full expression, it is already a fine dinner companion.